GI gets 12 years for sex with 12-year-old, assault of fellow NCO

[unhappycamper]

GI gets 12 years for sex with 12-year-old, assault of fellow NCO
By Kent Harris, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Saturday, February 9, 2008

VICENZA, Italy — An Italy-based soldier will spend 12 years behind bars after being found guilty Friday of having sex with a 12-year-old girl and assaulting a fellow noncommissioned officer.

A seven-member jury deliberated for about 90 minutes Friday before convicting Daniel H. Gaskins of carnal knowledge and indecent acts with a child and of indecent assault. The jury took about 90 more minutes to hand down the sentence.

In addition to the prison term, Gaskins, who was a staff sergeant, was reduced to E-1, ordered to forfeit all pay and allowances, and given a bad-conduct discharge.

The charges stemmed from two separate incidents. The first, in February 2007, occurred when Gaskins had a sexual encounter with the 12-year-old girl during a party in a small American military community near Naples. The other incident occurred at a Naples suburb in March, when Gaskins was offered a room at a noncommissioned officer’s house following a night of drinking.

Prosecutor Capt. Larry Babin’s and civilian defense attorney David Court’s interpretations of the evidence presented over the first two days of the trial differed greatly in their closing arguments.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=52319



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